Improvement in railroad-switches



Gl W. SIMONDS..

. lRalload-Svritch;

No.v198,054. Patented Dec. 11,1877.

Oper

N.PETERS. PHOTO-L\TMOGRAFHER. WASHlNGTON. D C.

UNTTEDA STATES PATENT OEEicE. N

TO CHARLES WILLIAMS MASSACHUSETTS.

l CALVIN W. SIMONDS, OF NORTH'BSCAWEN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR AND ALBERT H. RUSSELL, OF SOMERVILLE,

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-SWITCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Iatent No. l9S',054, dated December 11, 1877; application iiled February 19, 1877. 1

j forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to a railroad-switch, which is automatically` operated by the tram; and it consists in certain :novel iuilocking and j shifting devices, constructed and arranged as hereinafter more fully set forth, so that the train, on approaching a siding or branch track,

will automatically unlock the switch, and immediately afterward shift the same, so as to establish connection with the siding or branch track, and after having gone onto the siding or branch track will automatically shift the switch into connection with the main line andlock it in that position. Y

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a railroad-line with two sidings, to which my improved switch is applied, and a car provided with the attachments which operate the switch. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the unlocking device, showing the switch unlocked.

, Fig. 3 is a view of the shifting device. Fig. 4 j is a plan view of a car, showing' the devices attached thereto by which the switch is operated, and Fig. 5 is a partial view, showing the manner in which the shoes engage with the projections so as to operate the switches.

In these several figures the same letters refer to the same parts.

ReferringA to the drawings, A is the main line. B B are sidings, and C is the switch, capable of a sidewise movement to either side of the main line.

Two sidings are shown,'in order to show the operation of the switch-movin g mechanism when a train is going from the main line to a siding, and when a train is moving in the opposite direction from'a siding to the main line.

I will first describe the construction and operation of the unlocking device. This consists in a'series of levers, a a a a, properly supported under the track. At the center of this system of levers is attached a bar, C, upon which are pins or tongues d d, which, when the bar is prevented. At opposite ends of this system of levers are attached cross-bars c c', to which l are attached plates fr' x, which lie alongside of the rail in such a position as to be depressed by the projections c c, attached to the sides of the car, when these come into contact with the plates. These plates are represented of a curved form, in order that the projections e e may easily glide over them.

It will be obvious that when these curved plates are depressed by the action of the projections the bar C and tongues d d will be depressed, and t-he pins removed from the sides of the rail, so that the switch will be free to move, and these plates are such a distance from the shifting devices that the shoes or projections, of the form shown at c on the car,

`willengage with the plates and unlock the switch before the shifting devices are operated by the car. j

The unlocking device may be kept in place by a spring instead of a weight, which spring may be arranged in any suitable manner.

The projections or shoes are removable and adjustable, and though, for convenience of il- .lustration, they are represented as both attached` to the same car, in practice one shoe will be attached to the engine, and the other to the rear car.

The shifting device is shown in detail in Fig. 4. It consists of two levers, E E, connected together by a hinge at b, and secured to the switch at that point, and each pivoted to the sleeper at bf, so as to have a transverse motion, and thereby move'the switch. Upon the end of each of these levers is a bar, upon which are a series of projections, D D D, having curved sides, as shown in m in Fig. 4.

Upon the car, as shown at h h in Fig. 5, are shoes having' slots therein, the sides of which are curved, as shown at n n in Fig. 5, and. when these curved sides strike the. curved faces of the projections D, these give a transverse movement to the bar E, and `cause the switch to be moved. 4

The operation of this device is as follows:

A shoe, h, is placed upon the engine at the center of the frame, as shown at Fig. 5, and

locked.

passed onto the siding the projection e, by

switch, the projection e strikes the curved plate m. By depressing the same, it depresses the pins d d and unlocks the switch, and im# mcdiately after the shoe 7L, by coming into contact with the curved projection D, gives a tranverse movement to the switch, and throws it into connection with the siding, and the projection e is removed from the plate x, and

the levers a a being released, the switch is Immediately after the train has acting with the curved plate w, again unlocks the switch, and the shoe h on the rear of the car strikes against the projection D and throws the switch into connection with the main line, thus leaving the main line closed.

If the train is moving in an opposite direction from the siding to the main line, the movevment of the switch to establish connection cars, and thus, after the train has passed from the main line to a siding and then left the main line closed, the projection h may be shifted, so that, when the train backs, the shoe upon the rear car will strike'the projection D and move the vswitch into connection with the siding, and after the train has moved onto the main line the shoe upon the engine will strike the projection D" and throw the switch into connection with the main line.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent ,of the l United l. The projection upon the shiftin g mechanism, having curved faces m m, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. The combination of the levers a a a a, bar c, pins d d, curved plates ma', weight w, switch C, and shifting-levers E E, and projections D Dl D D, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The pivoted shoes h 7L', attached to the train and having slots with curved sides u n therein, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 1

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand to this specification in presence of two subscribing witnesses. 5

CALVIN W. SIMONDS.

Witnesses:

ALEX. L. HAYES, ALBERTL. RUSSELL. 

